The board of Acomo N.V. (AMS:ACOMO) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of €0.85 on the 7th of May, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. This will take the annual payment to 5.9% of the stock price, which is above what most companies in the industry pay.
Our free stock report includes 2 warning signs investors should be aware of before investing in Acomo. Read for free now.Acomo's Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions
Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. At the time of the last dividend payment, Acomo was paying out a very large proportion of what it was earning and 161% of cash flows. Paying out such a high proportion of cash flows certainly exposes the company to cutting the dividend if cash flows were to reduce.
The next year is set to see EPS grow by 19.7%. Assuming the dividend continues along the course it has been charting recently, our estimates show the payout ratio being 68% which brings it into quite a comfortable range.
See our latest analysis for Acomo
Dividend Volatility
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The annual payment during the last 10 years was €1.10 in 2015, and the most recent fiscal year payment was €1.25. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 1.3% a year over that time. We're glad to see the dividend has risen, but with a limited rate of growth and fluctuations in the payments the total shareholder return may be limited.
Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Earnings has been rising at 3.3% per annum over the last five years, which admittedly is a bit slow. There are exceptions, but limited earnings growth and a high payout ratio can signal that a company has reached maturity. When a company prefers to pay out cash to its shareholders instead of reinvesting it, this can often say a lot about that company's dividend prospects.
Acomo's Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable
Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Acomo will make a great income stock. The track record isn't great, and the payments are a bit high to be considered sustainable. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've identified 2 warning signs for Acomo (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you should be aware of before investing. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.